November TBR

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my November TBR! It took me a while to figure out which books I really wanted to read in November, but I finally narrowed it down. Again, this is just a small selection of my TBR but these are the top 6 books on my list. So without further ado, here are the books I am planning on reading in November:

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend 

Zodiac by Romina Russell 

Maud by Melanie Fishbane 

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo 

In a Perfect World by Trish Doller 

Renegades by Marissa Meyer 

I will have another TBR out in the middle of the month for the Tome Topple Read-a-thon so stay tuned! 🙂 Also check back in a couple of days for my October Wrap-up post.

What books are planning on reading in November?

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Book Review: Outlander

Hello Everyone!

Today’s review is on Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

About the book: 

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

My Thoughts: 

I loved this book! I started reading it when I was trying to get out of a two day reading slump and the first 50 pages definitely got me out of it. Even though I already knew what happened in it because of the show, I still found myself wanting to savor it.

I love how close the TV show follows the book and the improvements that were made on certain plot points in the book. The last 200 pages was different from the show, except for the major plot points – I honestly think that the show made it more realistic than the book.

Gabaldon’s writing is fantastic, captivating and at times lyrical, and when I finished this I was in the mood to read more historical fiction which I haven’t really read in awhile. I loved Claire and following her as she adapts to her “new” surroundings. And Jamie was great, although there were some character flaws that they changed in the TV show for the better.

Even though I enjoyed the book I do know that there is some content in it that others might not like or might even be offended by, therefore I can’t really recommend this book unless you love historical fiction and are okay with sex scenes in the books that you read. Besides these scenes, I really enjoyed this book and I am giving it 4/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Reading Blog: October 15th – 21st

Hello everyone!

I’ve decided to post weekly/bi-weekly reading blogs. I’ve seen several BookTubers do reading vlogs, but since I am not a vlogger I thought I could do weekly posts. I hope you all enjoy it!

Sunday: 

Today is my last day at Pismo Beach with my family. I really wish our trip had been longer.

This morning I finished Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza. It was an okay read, but I am ready to start Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone, which looks like it will be a fun middle-grade read. Also, the Hogwarts House Reading Challenge starts today and I’m so excited. I think at the end of the week I am going to tally up how many points I have learned for my house – Ravenclaw. Right now we are going to go look a t some monarch butterflies and then go to Lake Lopez.

We’re on the road back home right now – we are stuck in traffic in Santa Barbara. I’ve read 108 pages of Click’d and I am enjoying it so far. I’m trying to think of which book I’m going to pick up next…it is between Wake or Shadow and Bone… I guess we shall see! I;m hoping to finish Click’d tonight or tomorrow which will mean I would have completed my first book for the House Cup Reading Challenge. Yay! 20 points to Ravenclaw!

I have no idea how much reading I’ll get done this week because I have a lot of catch up reading to do for school. Anyway, this is going to be my last update until just before I got to bed.

Okay, so it isn’t bed time yet, but I managed to read another 85 pages in the car. Since I have 80 pages left, I am determined to finish Click’d tonight. Now, for reals, I will be back in a few hours before I go to sleep.

I just finished Click’d and now I am moving on to Wake because I’ve been meaning to get to it in over a year. Anyway, my immediate TBR is to read Wake, then Shadow and Bone, then The Raven Boys. I’m also listening to Wildflower by Drew Barrymore.

Anyway, goodnight!

Monday: 

It is 7:30 AM and I am drinking some coffee before I get ready for work. I work for 8 hours today so I won’t get too much reading done. I started Wake last night, it is a reread for me. I think I read it about 3 or 4 years ago, but I want to write a review on it since I have reviews for the rest of the quartet. I am also planning on listening to Wildflower on the bus to and from work – I should be able to listen to about 2-3 hours of it. Anyway, I will be back after work with an update of how I am doing.

Part of my problem when it comes to books is that there are so many that I want to read but I have very little time to do so, especially now that I am in grad. school. Today I am going to read my heart out and then tomorrow I am going to try and focus on grad. school reading once I get to my parents’ house (I’ll be spending a few days with them since I will be off until Friday). I also should try and finish Everything, Everything this week since I have been working on it since September. I don’t want to talk too soon but I think my reading slump is finally over!

It is almost 10:30pm and I am getting ready for bed. It was a good day at work, even thought it was busy (I work at a public library). I ended up listening to about 2 and a half hours of Wildflower, which I am enjoying so far. I only managed to read a few pages of Wak, I’m not really feeling it and I might put it aside for now, but I am going to give it one more chapter.

Today at work I checked out a couple of books that caught my eye while I was  shelving. The first one is We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which is short and seems like an interesting read. The second on is The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy which just seems very geeky and cool.

Anyway, I am going to try and get some more reading done, I might see if I can read Captain Underpants before I go to sleep. I’m aso planning on finishing the chapter I am currently in the middle of in Wake. If I don’t feel a pick-up in my reading mood soon, I think I will set it aside and start Shadow and Bone.

Goodnight.

Tuesday: 

It is just after 9 AM, I ended up having a late night last night but it was worth it. I ended up reading Captain Underpants last night, which means I completed my second second book for the House Cup Reading cup. Right now I am going to have some coffee, get ready, and probably do some reading until my mom picks me up.

Today I need to do a lot of reading for my Information Communities class so I will be working on that most of the day. I’ve also decided to stick with Wake for now. Right now I am debating whether to some books from Barnes and Noble because they have a really good deal of 2 YA Books for $20. On the one hand I need to save money, but on the other this is a really good deal. But do I really need it…hmmm…I have until the 22nd to decide.

I’ve Listened to another and a half of Wildflower – I have about three hours left. Other than that I haven’t really done any other reading. I’m probably going to do a few more things and then try and get some more physical reading done.

I just finished reading We Should All Be Feminists, which was really good. One quote that I really was: “Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture” (46). This is also the third book I have read for the House Cup. I am planning on reading some of Adichie’s other books because I love her writing. Right now I am listening to more of Wildflower and working on some blog posts. I don’t know if I will finish it tonight, but maybe! 🙂

I just finished listening to Wildflower and it was really goof, although there were some things that weren’t addressed, but I feel like I’ve been given a glimpse into the celebrity life. I am planning on finishing Everything, Everything either tonight or tomorrow. Tonight I also browsed on Barnes and Noble’s website, I also requested a bunch o books from the library – what have I done? I also have a lot of inactive requests for a bunch of Christmas books that I might review for the holidays, some of those become active on October 31st…it is going to be an interesting couple of months reading wise. C’lest Vie.

Wednesday: 

It is almost 6 AM and I am up, I don’t know why because I went to bed pretty late last night. Last night I ended up reading 40 pages of The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy; about 40 pages of Wake; and about 20 pages of Everything, Everything. Since I am up early, I plan on getting some reading done. I think I am going to try and finish Everything, Everything, then move on to Fangirl’s or Wake. My plan is to read until about 9 and then do schoolwork for the rest of the day. Let’s see how this goes.

I  finished Everything, Everything – I only had about 10-15 pages left. I also read about 110 pages of Wake and another 40 pages of Fangirl’s. I am planning on finishing Wake tonight, maybe I’ll also finish Fangirl’s. I also need to find another book to read on the Kindle app because the room I am staying in doesn’t abe a amp so if I want to read before bed I need to do it on my phone. I have several options: I could start/continue Shadow and Bone; The Queen of Sheba; or The Lost Hero… I think it is going to be one of the first two. Probably The Queen of Sheba because I will be reading a physical copy of Shadow and Bone. I might also start The Princess Diarist today. Anyway, I need to get dressed and start doing some school work.

I just got done with lunch break and I’m about to jump back into my schoolwork, but I thought I’d give a quick reading update. I’ve managed to read another 45 pages of Wake while I had lunch, so I only have about 50 more pages to go. I’m planning on starting Shadow and Bone as soon as I get done with it. But when I get back to my apartment I will need to put it aside because I need to read Warcross because it is due back at the library in a few days. I might just wait to pick up S & B  when I finish Warcross, but I’m also really looking forward to S & B. Why is this so hard? Anyway my schoolwork awaits.

I finished Wake, I ended up flying through it. Ever since I decided to do this reading blog I have been reading machine, which is funny because I didn’t think I would get as much reading done as I have. I am planning on reading more of Fangirl’s tonight – I might finish it. I am still trying to figure out what to read next. I also ended up buying a couple of books from Barnes and Noble which should be arriving sometime next week. I got Maud by Melanie Fishbane and Zodiac by Romina Russell. Now I am dead-set on not buying anymore books for awhile, except for a couple of books that come out next month which I have already pre-ordered. Once I get done with watching some TV I am going to get some more reading done. Goodnight!

Thursday: 

I just finished The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy – it was great read! I’m not sure how much reading I’ll get done because I am going to be out and about today. I am also going to work on some more homework.

Last night I read the first few pages of Shadow and Bone (I’m hooked, but Warcross!). I also started reading The Queen of Sheba by Jill Eileen Smith, which is good so far. I keep changing my reading plans around! Right now I am planning on picking up Warcross; listening to The Princess Diarist; then I am going to read Shadow and Bone…

I haven’t really done much reading since I last checked in. Today I went to The Grove with my mom – neither of us had been there before. We went to the American Girl store because I’ve been wanting to go there since I was a little kid and it was great! I also went into Barnes and Noble which was across the way. It had three floors! Anyway, tonight I am planning on reading some of Warcross and working on an assignment that is due tomorrow night.

I’ve read about 20 pages of Warcross so far and I love it! I’m looking forward to finding out more about this world. This is also my first Marie Lu book and so far I love her writing style and I want to check out some of her other books.

I’m on page 80 of Warcross and it honestly doesn’t feel like I am that far into it because the pacing is great! I also listened to about 25 minutes of The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher. It is good and I’m looking forward to finding out more about her experiences filming Star Wars. Goodnight!

Friday: 

I just got home from work, which was good! I managed to read about 150 pages of Warcross – I’m on page 258 right now – I only have about 100 pages left, so I’ll probably finish it tonight or tomorrow. I also read some of The Queen of Sheba – I’m now about 25% of the way through it. Today I checked out Loving vs. Virginia, which looks interesting and I might actually pick it up next.

It is almost 11 PM and I have about 40 pages of Warcross left…I can’t believe how quickly I’ve read it. I’m still at kind of an impasse of what I;m going to read next. I’ll figure it out eventually. I don’t know how much reading I’ll get done this weekend because I have a big assignment due on Tuesday and I’m working for a few hours tomorrow and all day on Monday. I also need to work on my blog posts for the next couple of weeks. And I need to get some Instagram posts ready beforehand, just so I can hit share and not have to worry about captions and hashtags. I really want to take part in a bookstagram challenge next month, does anyone know of one?

Saturday: 

I just finished Warcross and it was so good! I will definitely be writing a review on it. Book 2 cannot come out soon enough! I am on the bus to work; now I’m going to finally start Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I have decided – and it a possibility – to read 200 books this year. So far I have read 185 books, so I only need to read 15 more in two months which is totally doable.

It is 11:30 and it has been a long, but good day. I checked out about five books today, but you’ll have to wait until my next library haul to find out which ones they are. However, the one book I checked out was called A Little Book of Sloth, which is so cute! I’ve become obsessed with sloths recently, and the pictures in this book are adorable!

Anyway, reading wise I managed to get up to page 74  of Shadow and Bone and I’m hoping to get some more reading done before I fall asleep. Goodnight!

Weekly Wrap Up: 

I managed to read 7 books:

1. Click’d
2. Captain Underpants
3. We Should All Be Feminists
4. Wildflower
5. Wake
6. The Fangirl’s Guide t the Galaxy
7. Warcross

Total pages read: 1,856 pages

Points earned for The House Cup Reading Challenge: 124 points for Ravenclaw!

Currently Reading: Shadow and Bone; The Queen of Sheba; The Princess Diarist.

If you are still reading this, thank you! I will try to make sure that future reading blogs are not as long as this one. Until next time,

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

September Wrap-up

Hello Everyone!

So I know that this wrap-up is kind of late, but this is my first week back to regular blogging. Anyway, here are the books I read in September:

1. Will Not See by Chautona Havig

I really enjoyed this book! It was a perfect blend of suspenseful and just contemporary, and I love how the mystery of the memory loss just keeps becoming a bigger and bigger web. I can’t wait to pick up the next book when it comes out! Click here to read my full review. 5/5 Stars.

2. I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski 

This was a cute travel novel, however there were several things that I did not like. I will have a longer review up soon! 3.5/ 5 Stars.

3. Obsidian Blade by Morgan Rhodes

This was a short story set in the Falling Kingdoms universe and follows Prince Magnus who has to travel back in time. It was an interesting story but it was too short! 3/5 Stars.

4. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick 

It was great to have some more dimension added to the YouTube series. A lot of it is a rehash of the series but it is still a good read! 3/5 Stars.

5. To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han

I finally read a Jenny Han book and I flew through it. It was really cute, but there were a few things that were cliche. 3.5/ 5 Stars

6. Dear Dumb Diary #1: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jim Benton

A funny read for younger readers! It was enjoyable. 3.75/5 Stars

7. Judy Moody by Megan MacDonald

This was a quick, fun read and I am thinking of reading the rest of the books in this series even though it is for kids. 4/5 Stars

8. Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry

I loved this book! It was beautifully written and I can’t wait to read more from this author. This is probably a new favorite of mine! 5/5 Stars.

9. The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly

I had to read this for an assignment for school. It was an interesting read and kind of mind-boggling to think about where technology could potentially go. 3.5/5 Stars.

10. The Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton 

This was a good story, full of adventure. It was pretty basic, but younger readers will enjoy it. 3/5 Stars.

Those are all the books I managed to read in September and it looks like October is shaping up to be another good reading month!

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

October TBR

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since my last post. I have been in a reading slump and have had some other things going on in my life that didn’t allow me to take the time to write any posts. But I’m back and I am not planning on taking a hiatus again any time soon. However, I do need to change the frequency of my posts, instead of three times a week I think I am going to cut back to two times a week, sometimes once week. I think this will help me post more frequently because I won’t

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Warcross by Marie Lu

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

Anyway, I know this post is several weeks late, but these are the books I am planning on reading this month!

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

The House Cup Reading Challenge

Hello Everyone!

So I have decided to take part in the House Cup Reading Challenge hosted by @Booksydaisy, @betweendpages, @slytherinchica, and @kelsenator. I only found out about it last night and it sounds really cool! It starts tomorrow (October 15th) and finishes on November 12th.

First participants choose which Hogwarts house they want to read for and they will earn points for that House with other readers. It is going to be really cool and the main challenges are easy and the bonus challenges seem awesome! But before I list the reading challenges and my TBR for this challenge, let me first complete the Hogwarts Student Questionnaire:

Name: Janelle Christopher

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Wand Type: 10″ Acacia Wood with Unicorn Hair core

Pet: Tortoiseshell Cat

Favorite Subject: History of Magic

Favorite Professor: McGonagall

Since I am a Ravenclaw I am going to be earning points for Team Ravenclaw, and the head girl is Alex @booksydaisy. I am looking forward to earning points for my house!

Now here are the reading challenges:

Main Challenges (20 points each): 

1st year: reader’s choice

2nd year: reader’s choice

3rd year: reader’s choice

4th year: reader’s choice

5th year: reader’s choice

6th year: reader’s choice

7th year: reader’s choice

Bonus Challenges (10 Points each): 

Gryffindor: Read a book with an epic hero/heroine.

Hufflepuff: Read a book that contains a strong friendship.

Ravenclaw: Read a book that revolves around a mystery.

Slytherin: Read a book set in a dystopian world.

Astronomy Class: Read a book set in outer space.

Care of Magical Creatures: Read a book that features an animal or magical/mythical creature.

Tri-Wizard Tournament: Read a book that includes a competition.

Occlumency: Read a book about a character with magical abilities or superpowers.

Death Eater: Read a book told from the POV of a villain.

Platform 9 3/4: Read a book that features travel.

Time Turner: Read a book set in the future or past.

Fantastic Beasts: Read a spin-off to a beloved series.

Dumbledore’s Army: Buddy-read a book with a friend or group.

 

Now, onto my TBR. I am only going to do a TBR for the main challenges for now and then in a couple of weeks I will do a TBR for some of the bonus challenges. Here are the books I plan on reading during this read-a-thon:

Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone

Wake by Amanda Hocking 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater 

Wildflower by Drew Barrymore 

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher 

Warcross by Marie Lu 

 

If you would like to find out more about The House Cup Reading Challenge check Booksydaisy’s introduction post which gives some more information about it.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.